A veterinary pathologist from Cornwall has been presented with the prestigious Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Silver Medal for his outstanding work in wildlife conservation.

James Barnett received the award for his contribution to the public understanding and appreciation of zoology, including education in natural history and promoting participation in wildlife protection.

James has devoted his life to the conservation of marine wildlife and has significantly increased knowledge of seals, whales and dolphins through his examination of animals found stranded dead on Cornwall’s beaches.

A vet at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary he has trained members of the public to become Marine Mammal Medics, whose role is to rescue live-stranded marine animals. James works closely with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network and has helped to train numerous volunteers in the safe retrieval of stranded cetaceans, seals and turtles.

The veterinary advisor to the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust (CSGRT), he advises on the health and causes of death of seals in Cornwall. Most recently, he carried out the examination of a grey seal from north Cornwall that had been entangled in 35kg of discarded fishing net and other plastic debris. He described it as the worst net-related injury he had seen in 27 years of working with seals.